New Census figures show Portland's continued, but slowing population decline

Portland's population decreased from 653,344 residents in July 2020 to 630,498 in July 2023.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As Portland’s population continues to drop, new figures show the neighboring cities like Vancouver and Hillsboro have experienced small growth.

The U.S. Census Bureau published its 2023 population estimates on Thursday morning.

According to the data, Portland had about 630,498 residents as of July 1, 2023. This represents a 0.65% decrease from the year before, when the city recorded a population of about 634,668 people.

Although the downward trend has slowed, the area has consistently lost residents since at least 2020 — when there were 653,344 Portlanders.

For comparison, Seattle saw an upward trend in that same time frame. The city’s population grew from 740,565 residents in 2020 to 755,078 residents last year.

Other cities within the Portland metro either experienced a slight increase or slight decrease in locals.

Vancouver’s population rose by nearly 1% from 2022 to 2023, and Hillsboro’s rose by 0.41%

Beaverton said goodbye to 0.1% of residents, while Lake Oswego said goodbye to about 0.46%.

Overall, the Census Bureau found the South was the leading region for population growth.

“The population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities,” Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division, said in a statement. “Thirteen of the 15 fastest-growing cities were in the South, with eight in Texas alone.”

Celina, Fulshear, Princeton and Anna — all located in Texas — were the fastest-growing areas in the nation, with the No. 1 city’s population increasing by 26.6%. Lathrop, Calif. rounded out the top five.

The cities with the largest population growth by number were San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas, Charlotte, N.C., Jacksonville and Port St. Lucie, Fla.

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix led as the most populous cities in 2023.

The Census Bureau also found that Detroit’s population increased for the first time since 1957.